Mental Health and Wellbeing in Health and Social Care
Understanding and responding to the mental health needs of service users is key to delivering high-quality and person-centred care. Mental health significantly impacts people’s daily lives, their overall well-being, and quality of life. Therefore, it’s essential for health and social care providers to understand how to effectively support and manage mental health.
Over the past year, a number of legislative and regulatory changes have been made to improve how mental health is managed in social care services. For Mental Health Awareness week, our team at ClouDoc have created this quick guide to explain the recent updates as well as practical steps your service can take to ensure you’re meeting the latest requirements and expectations.
The importance of mental health in social care
Many individuals receiving care and/or support can have complex backgrounds and experiences that are likely to affect their mental well-being, such as trauma, bereavement, isolation, or long-term illness. As a result, staff need to be alert to the signs of mental health issues such as stress, behavioural changes, anxiety and depression. If providers are not responsive to these needs, mental health issues can worsen, leading to significant deterioration in physical health, self-care, and social relationships.
Mental health legislation updates
England
A significant development in legislation is the new Mental Health Bill for England and Wales, expected to become law in 2025. This will reform the Mental Health Act (1983) by placing a greater emphasis on individual choice, dignity, and respect. Per the new reform, retention and restrictions on liberty will be used only when absolutely necessary, with a focus on minimising the Act’s use for people with autism or learning disabilities. These changes aim to promote more person-centred, rights-based care.
Late last year, updates were also provided in the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual State of Care report for 2023/2024, which highlighted significant shortcomings in mental health support across England. Notably, it identified substantial inequalities in access to mental health services, which was further emphasised in the CQC’s annual Monitoring the Mental Health Act report (13/03/25). Individuals living in deprived areas are reportedly three times less likely to access mental health services compared to those from more affluent areas. Additionally, around a third of Black men reported excessive waiting times for mental health support services.
The report highlighted staffing shortages and inadequate integration of mental health provision and broader health and social care services; there is also lack of sufficient understanding among care staff regarding the mental health needs of individuals with dementia.
Providers can address some of these issues through proactive measures, such as targeted recruitment and training initiatives. This can help increase staff numbers and enhance staff’s awareness of diverse mental health needs. Developing partnerships with local mental health services and healthcare providers can also help bridge any gaps in support.
In children’s social care, the government announced the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in late 2024. This announcement coincided with the Children’s Commissioner’s identification of a crisis concerning the placement of children with complex needs, such as those who are being deprived of their liberty. In response, Clause 10 of the bill would provide a statutory framework for children to be deprived of their liberty in a new type of accommodation, separate from a Children’s Home.
To prepare, providers may wish to assess their current placement arrangements and consider new partnerships with specialist services where relevant to their service. Services should also review their existing policies and procedures related to the care and placement of children with complex needs – at ClouDoc, we will track all relevant updates and ensure that your policies and procedures remain compliant as these changes develop.
Scotland
In June 2023, the Scottish Government launched the Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme, set to run through April 2025, with the aim of modernising mental health legislation in alignment with evolving international human rights standards. As part of this broader initiative, the Mental Health Scrutiny and Assurance Collaborative was established in late 2024 to enhance the oversight and coordination of mental health services across Scotland. This collaborative brings together at least two key scrutiny bodies – primarily, the Mental Welfare Commission and Healthcare Improvement Scotland – with the Care Inspectorate contributing as a secondary stakeholder. A key feature of this initiative is the sharing of information between partners, which will be used to inform their activities, management and areas of focus. This collaborative approach is intended to improve the quality and safety of mental health support while reducing inequalities in accessing services.
Wales
From April 2025, The Regulated Services (Inspection Ratings) (Wales) Regulations 2025 came into effect, requiring certain social care providers – such as care homes and domiciliary care services – to publish inspection ratings on their websites and in their premises. The new inspection framework is made up of 4 lines of enquiry:
- Well-being
- Care and Support
- Environment
- Leadership and Management
Under the inspection theme of ‘Well-being’, the Care Inspectorate places emphasis on how effectively providers support the mental health of those in their care. Providers will be expected to demonstrate that service users are actively supported to maintain and enhance their mental well-being, and to participate in meaningful activities that promote happiness and the achievement of self-defined goals. Inspections will also be grounded in a rights-based approach, and in services where individuals lack capacity, inspectors will assess the extent to which providers uphold the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
To prepare, providers should ensure that their policies and procedures are updated in accordance with the new inspection framework. Providers should also ensure that their Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty policies are aligned with the Care Inspectorate’s standards. At ClouDoc, we continually update your documents for you to ensure they remain compliant with all legislative and regulatory requirements.
Northern Ireland
As of 2025, Northern Ireland has entered the third year of its 10-year Mental Health Strategy (2021-2031) with the publication of the Mental Health Strategy Delivery Plan 2024/2025. The Department of Health has made it clear that it faces severe budgetary challenges in the delivery of this plan, but several actions have been taken so far, including:
- Beginning work to implement key recommendations gathered from the independent Mental Health workforce review.
- Continued development of the Regional Mental Health Service, whose aim is to promote joined up working across key mental health partners, such as Health and Social Care Trusts, the community and voluntary sector and primary care services.
- Completed a review exploring the best way to engage the community and voluntary sector in the development of mental health policy and provision.
Mental health policies and procedures
Detailed and compliant policies and procedures are essential for providing informed and effective responses to mental health issues. A comprehensive Mental Health Policy should clearly define the roles, responsibilities, and procedures for staff, in addition to relevant regulatory standards and legislation.
Effective policies should address several key areas, including:
- How mental health needs are identified
- Procedures for managing mental health concerns
- Risk management and crisis intervention strategies
- How to escalate concerns
- Co-operating with other providers, such as local mental health services and GPs
- Confidentiality protocols
- Safeguarding protocols
- Staff training requirements
To ensure compliance with the regulations and standards set by CQC and OFSTED, every health and social care service should have policies and procedures addressing:
- Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty
- Mental Health Awareness, Management and Training
- Mental Health Risk Assessment
- Safeguarding
- Confidentiality
- Medication Management
- Managing Challenging Behaviour and Promoting Positive Behaviour
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
At ClouDoc, we have all the policies and procedures you require to support the effective management of mental health in your service. All of our documents are written in line with the relevant regulatory bodies and are consistently updated for compliance.
Provider responsibilities
Health and social care services carry substantial responsibility for recognising and effectively responding to mental health issues among service users. Meeting this responsibility relies heavily on well-trained staff who have the right knowledge, skills and experience.
Staff training should include an understanding of mental health conditions, recognising early signs of distress, applying basic intervention techniques, and knowing when and how to escalate concerns. Services should provide regular opportunities for staff to refresh and advance their mental health knowledge, and training must also be tailored to the specific needs of those you support. Similarly, management teams are responsible for ensuring that policies are effectively implemented and shape the support provided to service users.
For document-related queries, or to learn more about how ClouDoc can support you with compliance, feel free to reach out at 0330 808 0050 or email support@cloudoc.co.uk. We are happy to help!
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